Apologies for my long absence: My father had some minor health problems that landed him in the emergency room for much of the holiday weekend; as Dad has Alzheimer’s and can’t speak for himself, I was right there with him the whole time. Mass General is a fascinating place on a Saturday night, and also on a Sunday night, but I find my capacity for pulling back-to-back all-nighters is not quite what it was when I was 19.
And naturally, after weeks of no news, the mangasphere starts exploding as soon as I’m out of internet access. So let’s get right to it, shall we?
This morning’s big story has been brewing for a couple of days: Seven Seas has killed Nymphet (Kodomo no Jikan); 7S president Jason DeAngelis told ICv2 it was “not appropriate” for them to publish the manga, which tells the story of a nine-year-old girl’s efforts to sexually entice her teacher. DeAngelis’ earlier statement on Nymphet is worth reading, as he lays out the argument for publishing the book pretty articulately. Of course, those who really want to read the manga will still be able to find it.
In this week’s Flipped column, David Welsh interviews one of the most energetic and entertaining members of the manga industry, Tokyopop editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl.
And I talked to Elfquest creator Wendy Pini about her new webcomic, The Masque of the Red Death, for this week’s PWCW.
MangaCast has two awesome interviews, with Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide, and Murder Princess manga-ka Sekihiko Inui. They also indulge in some speculation about Udon’s new direction and the apparent disappearance of fellow manhwa publisher Ice Kunion, which earns a response from Udon’s Erik Ko:
As to why UDON and ICE parted ways, I do not want to get into too much detail as there are still things in dispute. But to simply put – creative differences and payment issues.
John Jakala notices that Del Rey has been publishing omnibus editions of some of its older series: Negima, Tsubasa, and xxxHolic: The first three volumes in a single book for $12.95. It’s a Barnes & Noble exclusive, and something I probably will check out ‘cos it sounds like a good deal. But a hardcover edition of Q-Ko-Chan? That seems like it would have limited appeal.
Golgo 13 is the chosen title for Shaenon Garrity’s Overlooked Manga Festival this week, and in addition to her scintillating commentary, it’s worth a click just for a peek at Carl Horn’s editor’s notes.
MangaCast has some new title news, with press releases on DMP’s Vampire Hunter D, which is due out in June, and Coyote Ragtime Show and My Dearest Devil Princess, from Broccoli;
Reviews: Alex Woolfson of Yaoi 911 is back, after a longish hiatus, with a review of vol. 2 of Little Butterfly. At Anime on DVD, Ron Quezon reviews vol. 1 of Chinese Hero. Johanna Draper Carlson gives a big thumbs up to Beauty Pop and also checks out two manhwa titles, In the Starlight and book 2 of 9 Faces of Love. At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie reads vols. 20 and 21 of Dragon Ball, vol. 3 of Scary Book, and Doing Time.
Best wishes to your dad, and kudos to you for being there to take care of him. MGH on the weekend is definitely something…
Enjoyed the Pini interview, too. Elf Quest was the very first comic I ever read. I always enjoyed Wendy’s B&W art more (though the original colors on the first four volumes were pretty good)… would rather see her go in a more “manga” direction
Gack! No wonder Goong vol 2 has never been released. Bummer, especially after having nominated volume 1 for the GGNFT list. I hope the ICE Kunion list doesn’t disappear forever. They had some really good titles licensed that I’d love to see stay in print.
the Del Rey/B&N omnibus editions have been out for two months, which regular readers of Comicsnob might already know
http://comicsnob.com/2007/03/25/manga-watch-list-25-march-2007#omnibus
I don’t rely on the Diamond list each week — since I have my own sources
— so I pick up on things like this all the time.
this week the hidden find was “Hokusai, First Manga Master” ($20, Abrams, 0810993414)
Best wishes to your father, Brigid.
I wonder if the Vampire Hunter D Manga will have new stories or mimic whats happening in the novels. If it’s new, I’m there, if it’s just a comic adaptation of the novels I’m already buying, forget it.
Nice interview with Wendy; like mangaijin, I practically cut my teeth on the Elf Quest comics. Good to see she remains in good health and I’m excited to see the new project.
Best wishes to your father!